The present invention relates to a baler used to press agricultural crop such as straw, hay or silage into cuboid bales.
Balers are known to comprise a bale chamber and a ram that moves in the bale chamber in an oscillating manner in order to compress bale material. Such a known baler is described in DE 10 2010 037 722 A1, for example.
In order to ensure that crop is compressed in such a bailer retains its bale shape upon exiting the bale chamber, the bales in the bale chamber must be wrapped with twine and the twine must be tied into a knot. While the bale is being produced, the twine tightens along the flanks of the bale and along the back side of the bale, which faces away from a baling ram. When the bale is finished, the twine also must be placed on the front side of the bale that faces the baling ram in order to be tied into a knot. To this end, it is known to provide the baling ram with so-called needle slots. Needle slots are open toward the bale and through which the needles, which guide the twine, are moved while the baling ram holds the bale under pressure.
Every time the baling ram is spaced apart from the front side of the newly created bale, new bale material is introduced into the bale chamber. Consequently, the bale becomes longer and the twine being drawn on the flanks and the back side of the bale must slip along the bale. The twine is thereby subjected to considerable loads with every compacting movement of the ram. If this causes the twine to tear or slip out of its holder, the bale cannot be knotted. The operation of the baler must be interrupted and the bale chamber must be emptied, which considerably lowers productivity. Although the risk of tearing is reduced by using stronger twine, using stronger twine increases costs. For that matter, the use of such strong twine makes it more difficult to subsequently cut open the bales. And in addition, the use of strong twine does not lower the risk of the twine being torn out of its holder during the compressing process.
Therefore, there is a need for a block baling press and a method for producing bales, with which a strong compression of the bale material can be achieved while also minimizing the risk of the twine tearing or slipping out of its holder.